Jerusalem: Palestinian detainee transferred to Gaza

01-04-2012 News Release

Geneva / Jerusalem (ICRC) – Hana Shalabi, a Palestinian detainee, was today transferred to Gaza by the Israeli authorities. She had been arrested on 16 February in Jenin and started a hunger strike in protest against her detention.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was in no way involved in the negotiations between Hana Shalabi and the Israeli authorities, and is not aware of the details of the arrangement. However, the organization urges the Israeli authorities to comply with international humanitarian law (Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention), which prohibits Israel, whatever its motives, from forcibly transferring Palestinians to another territory.

On purely humanitarian grounds, the ICRC did facilitate a visit between Ms Shalabi and her relatives, which took place today at the Erez crossing.